Apple says its new Watch Series 7 can recharge up to 33 percent faster than the Series 6, going from zero to 80 percent in just 45 minutes.
That’s great and all, but you’ll need a few things to make it actually work.
The first (and the easiest) thing is a new USB-C charging cable for the Apple Watch. Thankfully, Apple includes one of these new cables in the box with the Watch Series 7. However, if you need another one, you can get one from the Apple Store for $39.
The other thing you’ll need is a USB-C power brick capable of putting out the right amount of power. Previously, it wasn’t clear how much power the Watch Series 7 needed, but a new support document from Apple (spotted by MacRumors) clears it up.
In short, you’ll need a USB-C power brick that supports at least 5W over USB Power Delivery (USB PD) or greater. Although Apple doesn’t include a power brick in the Watch Series 7 box, it likely won’t be too hard to come by something that puts out at least 5W — for example, the Pixel charger sitting on my desk can output 15W or 18W of power.
As a refresher for those who didn’t read our article about iPhone 13 charging, you can calculate the watt output of a charging bring by multiplying the volts and amps listed in the fine print on the charging brick (assuming the brick doesn’t just list the wattage outright).
It’s also worth noting that if you want to stick with just Apple accessories, the minimum option is Apple’s 18W USB-C charging brick. I couldn’t find the 18W one on the Apple Canada website, but the next step up (20W) is available for $25.
Along with the 18W and 20W options, Apple’s support page says that its 29W, 30W, 61W, 87W or 96W adapters will all fast-charge the Watch Series 7. The 5W requirement stands for third-party chargers.
All that said, there’s probably a decent chance you already have a 5W USB-C charging brick you can use for the new Apple Watch. If not, you can either fork out at least $25 for the Apple brick or grab one of the countless options on Amazon ranging between $10 and $35 in price.
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